The invention involves a tilting device for emptying containers of mixed-item loads, especially for pieces of airline luggage, in accordance with the characterizing clause of claim 1.
A tilting device of this type for emptying containers of mixed-item loads is known from DE 44 13 967 A1. This tilting device essentially consists of a multitude of chassis arranged one behind the other in the direction of transport. The chassis are connected with each other into an endlessly-circulating chain and can be moved on rails. In the design example, the chassis can be moved along running rails that are horizontal and put in place in a racetrack shape. A pair of tilting arms is provided on the chassis, spaced apart from one another in each case, viewed in the direction of transport; the tilting arms can be swiveled around an axle running in the direction of transport and are oriented so as to be horizontal, and so as to be V-shaped to each other, viewed in the direction of transport. The ends of the tilting arms turned away from the chassis can be moved towards each other and away from each other, in order to be able to engage with their ends in complementary, recessed grooves in the contact surface of the containers. The containers can be connected with the tilting arms, and consequently with the vehicle, because of this, in order to let the mixed-item load stored in the container to slide laterally down onto the path of travel of the branch conveyors next to the chassis. To pass along the containers from the circulating chassis in the direction of a continuing conveyor line again, the tilting arms are moved towards each other, and the container is consequently detached from the chassis. After this, the container is taken on by the continuing conveyor line. The coupling and decoupling movement of the tilting arms takes place through guide rollers located on the ends of the tilting arms turned away from the container; the guide rollers engage in running rails going in the direction of movement and, in accordance with their course, give rise to a movement of the tilting arms relative to each other. Because the tilting arms are provided with initial tension through a spring in the direction of coupling, the running rails described above are only intended for the decoupling process. It is possible because of this that the container can be simply emptied through a lateral swiveling of the tilting arms, without the guide rollers for the decoupling and coupling process being in the way.
A device for emptying containers that is placed along the course of a conveyor line is known from DE 42 25 491 C1. The containers are preferably for the transport of individual pieces of airline luggage. The emptying device essentially consists of several tilting arms arranged so as to be fixed in place, one behind the other in the direction of transport, and with a spacing between each other. The tilting arms extend out crosswise to the direction of transport and are each supported in their center around an axle running in the direction of transport so as to be capable of swiveling towards both sides. Furthermore, support rollers along the lines of a roller conveyor are provided in the area of the emptying device; the support rollers are arranged in a single row one in back of the other, viewed in the direction of transport, and are disk-shaped. The design of the support rollers and of the underside of the containers, with a central slot going along in the direction of transport, is chosen in such a way that the containers supported by the support rollers can be tilted towards both sides, as far as about 45.degree., on the support rollers. The tilting movement of the containers takes place through the double-arm tilting arms, in order to permit the pieces of luggage transported by these to slide down on branch conveyors that are laterally bordering on the emptying device. Guides in the form of guide rollers that can be rotated around horizontal axles are provided for this on the opposite ends of the tilting arms. The guide rollers engage in guide lands that are accordingly arranged on the container, in order to transfer the swiveling movement of the tilting arms to the containers. The tilting arms, one behind the other in the transport direction, are at a distance to each other that is less than the length of the containers, so that the containers can be passed along during the tilting process to the subsequent tilting arm in the transport direction, which is in the same tilted position.
This emptying device is suitable for a multitude of applications and distinguishes itself by the fixed arrangement of the tilting arms. The operating throughput of the emptying device is limited, however, by the fact that an adequate gap has to exist between the individual containers to be emptied, so that the tilting arms can right themselves again into the horizontal position out of the swiveled position for taking on the following container.
Another tilting device for mixed-item loads placed in the course of a conveyor line is already known from the German patent document DE 21 51 439 C2, which essentially consists of carrying trays that can be moved in the transport direction and which can be swiveled to the right or to the left side around an axle running in the transport direction for tilting off the mixed-item load. The mixed-item load can consequently be selectively passed along to a neighboring branch conveyor. The carrying trays are each attached through a tilting arm on individual chassis that are arranged one behind the other in the transport direction and connected with each other. The chassis consequently form an endless chain that is guided around a deflection wheel at the transition points to the neighboring conveyor line and that is therefore designed to be endlessly circulating. The mixed-item load is passed along to the carrying tray of the upper free-running part of the chain from the neighboring conveyor line for the tilting process and is either tilted off in the direction of the branch conveyor line or passed along to the conveyor line connected to the tilting device for further transport. The tilting movement of the carrying tray takes place through a lever arm acting on the tilting arm; the lever arm essentially extends vertically downwards and has a guide roller on the end that is turned away from the tilting arm. The guide roller is run in a guide rail going along the path of motion of the chassis of the carrying trays, designed so as to be circulating and racetrack-shaped. The carrying tray is locked into its horizontal position in this way. Distributing guides are arranged along the course of the guide rail for the tilting process, in order to divert the guide roller into a tilting rail located above or below the guide rail, depending on the desired tilting direction to the right or left side. Because of the diverting of the guide roller, the lever arm is pulled down or pushed up in an appropriate way; the carrying tray is thereby tilted to the right or to the left. The changeover of the distributing guides takes place through a double-action pneumatic cylinder. Its horizontally directed movement is turned into a swiveling of the distributing guides in the vertical direction through 2 rollers, each working in a combined action with a link guide.
This tilting device for mixed-item loads is only suitable for tilting off a piece of the mixed-item load onto a preselected branch conveyor, however. Utilizing it for specifically emptying containers is not possible.
The problem of creating a tilting device for emptying containers of mixed-item loads, especially of pieces of airline luggage, which has an optimal operational throughput, is at the root of the invention at hand.